Suu Kyi’s Rohingya reaction tarnishes a respected image

By Thomas WalkomSep. 18, 2017

Aung San Suu Kyi's reluctance to champion this particular group may stem in part from the fact that, in Burma, the army still remains a powerful force. Or it may stem from the fact that Rohingya Muslims are not popular among Burmese voters, the majority of whom are Buddhist. Or it may merely reflect her view of the world.

The world had been told that Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi, left, pictured with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on June 7, 2017, was a heroine of democracy and human rights. Now it turns out that her idea of human rights doesn't include the roughly 1.1 million Rohingya Muslims living in Burma's western state of Rakhine. Photograph courtesy of the PMO

TORONTO—Another idol bites the dust. The world had been told that Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi was a heroine of democracy and human rights. Now it turns out that her idea of human rights doesn’t include the roughly 1.1 million Rohingya Muslims living in Burma’s western state of Rakhine.

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